or: mee-low, you fool
I’d completely forgotten how popular Milo is in this part of the world. I’ve always loved Milo, and it was one of the few Australian things I missed when I was living in Europe. And then on a trip to Singapore, I discovered it was practically their national drink.
And so it is also in Malaysia!
For those of you who don’t know, Milo is a malted chocolate powder that you mix with milk (usually) to make a malted chocolate milk drink. Sounds straight forward enough. But it is different to Quik, for example, which is the go-to drink of this kind in Europe, in that it is kind of chunky and doesn’t dissolve well. THIS IS A FEATURE, not a bug. You get globs of Milo globbing about globbily and you scoop them up with your spoon.
And, unlike Quik, you can EAT Milo straight out of the tin. Many of us have done this many a time. I have done this many a time. I regret nothing.
So far, I have encountered three types of cold Milo in Malaysia. (I haven’t tried any of the hot Milo options yet, so I can’t comment on those.)
Milo Ice
In most places, if you order a Milo, they’ll make you a Milo Ice. As far as I can tell, this is Milo mixed with water, served with ice. It’s okay, but definitely not the best way to enjoy this beverage. But it is super cheap. About 3 MYR (a dollar) for a drink at the dodgy sorts of places I stop at.
At a nicer place, like a proper restauranty-type place, it may not be made with water but with some variation of milk (condensed, UHT or otherwise) and then you’re looking at 6.50 MYR (2 – $3).
Milo Dinosaur
Now this is the king of Milo drinks! This is like how we make it at home in Australia, with chunks, with globs, with OBSCENE amounts of Milo floating about in the goodness!
I had no idea what a Milo Dinosaur was when I first ordered it, but I suspected, based on the name, that I would love it. I was not wrong.
A Milo Dinosaur is essentially how most Australians (and probably Malaysians and Singaporeans) actually have Milo at home – which is with an extra spoon (or two or five) of undissolved Milo on top. That’s the whole point of Milo! To have crunchy undissolved bits!!
A Milo Dinosaur is also definitely made with milk, not just water. It was all I wanted in a Milo beverage and more. I want to have one every day. So far I have not had one every day. But I may just yet. I may just yet…
Milo Godzilla
And then we have the next step up from a dinosaur – Godzilla.
Actually, I don’t know which is bigger? A T-Rex or Godzilla?
Anyway, that’s a philosophical discussion for another day.
A Milo Godzilla, based on my extensive research, is a Milo Dinosaur, but with extra fat and lactose, probably through the addition of ice cream. The version I had was served in a plastic bag (I was at a mamak) so I didn’t get the globs of dry Milo on top. In fact, what I think I got was a regular old Milo but made with condensed milk. I’m not complaining; it was still great.
A note on pronunciation
I’ve been swanning around (I’m prone to a swan) saying Milo as ‘my-low’, thinking that was tres ordinaire. Imagine my embarrassment when I heard a young woman next to me ordering ‘mee-lo’!!
Well, now I know. I shall, henceforth and forevermore (in Malaysia, at least), call it MeeLo.
